Cole’s face was a mask of pure rage. His ten-man party had been wiped out by a single player, leaving only him and two tanks. The humiliation was infuriating.

  But faced with Cole’s charge, Kael didn’t show the slightest hint of panic. With his high Agility, he could have easily dodged the attack.

  He didn't move.

  Instead, Kael turned his head slightly to the side. "Alright, show's over. Get in here."

  "Heehee, you got it, Mr. Dawnbreaker!" a playful voice replied.

  In the next instant, a massive shield slammed down between Kael and Cole with a deafening clang.

  CLANG!

  -15

  A girl with pigtails peeked out from behind the shield and stuck her tongue out at Cole.

  "FUCK!" Cole swore viciously, his charge brought to a crashing halt.

  Seeing his shocked expression, Hazel tossed her head triumphantly, her pigtails bouncing. This was the payback she’d been waiting for after being ganked by his crew.

  Cole shot a venomous glare at Hazel before turning back to Kael, his voice a low threat. "Dawnbreaker. You just wait. I won't let this go."

  Kael just smirked. "You won't have to wait long."

  With that, he drew his bow and planted an arrow squarely in Cole’s rear.

  -515

  It was another one-shot kill. Cole’s eyes went wide in disbelief before his body dissolved into a flash of white light.

  Kael looked up at the two remaining tanks. Seeing their leader get deleted, all their courage evaporated. They turned and ran. But their movement speed was a joke. Against Kael, they had no chance of escaping. He drew his bow, and in two smooth motions, loosed two arrows, felling them both.

  The moment the last one fell, a server-wide announcement boomed across the world channel.

  [World Announcement: Congratulations to player Dawnbreaker for single-handedly eliminating ten Malefactors and earning the title: [Vanguard of Defiance]!]

  [World Announcement: Congratulations to player Dawnbreaker...]

  Vanguard of Defiance? Kael blinked. In his past life, he'd PK'd countless players. How had he never gotten this title before? He quickly opened his character panel to check it out.

  [Vanguard of Defiance]: +5 to all five core stats.

  Not bad at all, he thought.

  The world chat was already exploding.

  "WTF, who is this Dawnbreaker? Killed 10 people in a row!"

  "Probably just ganked a bunch of level 1 noobs, lol."

  "You can't even flag for PvP at level 1, idiot. They must have been level 5+."

  "It's easy. His friends probably got them low and he just got the last hit."

  "Psh, what a scrub. I could do that."

  "Hang on, the announcement said he killed 'Malefactors,' right? That means they must have initiated the malicious PK first."

  "If you get ambushed, you have time to let someone else get the kill? Doubt it."

  "A 'Miscreant' is probably a player with an infamy score. I bet Dawnbreaker is a Bounty Hunter!"

  "Is Bounty Hunter even a class?"

  "Maybe it's a hidden quest or a secret class advancement!"

  Kael ignored the increasingly wild speculation in the world chat and looked down at Hazel. "What were you doing all the way out here?"

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Hazel looked aggrieved. "I... I got this Epic-quality Thornshield and wanted to show my friends, and they said we should come to a high-level zone to test it out." She sniffled. "Then we ran into those guys. They wanted my shield, and when I said no, they attacked us. Ava and the others... they were all killed trying to protect me. And they said they'd kill me on sight until the shield dropped..."

  She was, after all, only a twelve-year-old girl. The more she spoke, the more upset she became, until she finally started to sob.

  Kael gently patted her on the back. "It's okay, don't cry. We got them back."

  "Okay," Hazel mumbled, wiping her tears.

  Kael looked at her. A little girl holding a shield as tall as she was. It was a comical sight. "What are the stats on that shield? Let me see."

  "Okay." Hazel shared the item's properties.

  [Thornshield (Epic)] Level 1

  +20 Constitution

  +90 Physical Defense

  +40 Magical Defense

  Thorns: When struck by a melee attack, reflect 10 Holy Damage to the attacker.

  (Holy Damage: True damage. Ignores all resistances.)

  Requires: 10 Strength

  A total of 130 defense and 20 Constitution. It was definitely a step down from his own Legendary bow, but impressive for its level.

  The 'Thorns' passive was the real killer; it meant most melee classes wouldn't even dare to hit her. They'd take ten damage for every one point they managed to deal. No wonder Cole’s group had only used their ranged players to attack her.

  Kael glanced at the world chat again. The topic had shifted entirely to how one could unlock the "Bounty Hunter" quest. While they were completely wrong, their conversation did remind him of something. There was a hidden quest item in the starting village that functioned in a similar way.

  "Hazel," Kael said. "Want to punish those guys some more?"

  Hazel's big eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously. "Yes! Are we going to go kill them again?"

  Kael ruffled her hair. "Something even better. Head back to the village for now. I'll find you later."

  "Okay!"

  The sky had grown dark, and visibility was dropping fast. The day/night cycle in Godpath was synced to the real world. Unlike reality, however, the game's outdoor areas had ambient light from things like glowing crystals, fireflies, and phosphorescent moss, so players wouldn't be completely blind.

  But it was only enough to see the path, not nearly enough to effectively grind mobs. For that, players needed to buy lighting items from the general store.

  [Candle]:

  Illumination Range: 10 yards

  Duration: 1 hour

  Price: 10 Copper

  [Torch]:

  Illumination Range: 20 yards

  Duration: 2 hours

  Price: 1 Silver

  Equip Slot: Trinket

  (A standard character has 4 trinket slots.)

  .....

  Nighttime put Kael at a serious disadvantage. His 35-yard range was useless without vision. Still, Kael wasn't worried. He knew of several ways to solve the visibility problem, including at least two quests in the starting village. One of them was directly related to his new plan.

  Instead of returning with Hazel, Kael turned and headed deeper into the forest. After clearing a few stray mobs, he reached the far eastern edge, where the forest gave way to an abandoned mine. Two guards stood sentinel at the entrance.

  As Kael approached, one of them raised his weapon. "Who goes there?"

  "I heard there was a mine here," Kael replied calmly. "I was hoping to do some mining to sell the ore."

  The guard's expression was grim. "This mine is dangerous. No one enters without a permit!"

  Kael feigned surprise. "What happened in there?"

  The chubby guard blurted out, "The miners inside, they've all gone mad, you—"

  "Shut up!" the other, skinnier guard cut him off before turning back to Kael. "That's none of your concern. The point is, no permit, no entry!"

  Just then, a system notification popped up for Kael.

  [System: You sense that something is amiss in the abandoned mine and decide to investigate further.]

  Seeing the message, Kael knew he had triggered the quest prerequisite. He bid the guards farewell and headed back to the village. He stopped at the general store to buy a torch and some rope, then made his way to a small house on the south side of town.

  It was a fisherman's hut. The husband, Jack, went out to fish, while the wife, Rose, sold the catch at the market. Kael waited outside until the clock hit 7:00 PM, then pushed the door open.

  Inside, he found the couple sighing heavily. He walked up to them. "Hello. Is there anything I can help you with?"

  Jack looked up, a flicker of hope on his face. "Dawnbreaker. We are in a bit of trouble. Could you help us?"

  "What's wrong?" Kael asked.

  "We've had a thief break in for several nights in a row, just turning the place upside down," Jack said.

  "And just now," Rose added, "I found a note in the kitchen, telling us to hand over our 'treasure'."

  "We're simple fisherfolk," Jack sighed. "What treasure could we possibly have?"

  "Can you please help us catch him?" Rose pleaded.

  A notification appeared.

  [System: You have received the quest [Catch the Thief]. Accept?]

  "Accept," Kael confirmed, then turned to the couple. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he's caught."

  "Oh, thank you! Maybe now we can finally get a peaceful night's sleep."

  Kael offered them a few more words of reassurance, then left the house and found a secluded corner nearby to hide in.

  As Kael departed, Rose whispered to her husband, "Dear, maybe we should just give them the thing?"

  Jack shook his head firmly. "Absolutely not. The fact that someone is after it proves it's valuable. I'm counting on selling it for a good price to buy a bigger, newer fishing boat!"

  "But... is it worth risking our lives for?"

  "It'll be fine. Once that thief is caught, we'll be safe."

  "I hope Dawnbreaker can catch him..."

  Rose and Jack talked for another half hour before they grew tired. They went into their bedroom, turned off the lights, and soon fell asleep.

  Outside, Kael held his breath, waiting for his target to appear.

  After about fifteen minutes, a dark figure slipped into the backyard.

  Creeeak.

  A window slid open.

  Kael tensed. The show was about to begin.